The present invention relates generally to the field of integrated circuits, and more particularly to packaging of integrated circuits.
In electronics, a three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) is a chip or combination of chips in which two or more layers of active electronic components are integrated both vertically and horizontally into a single circuit. 3D packaging saves space by stacking separate chips in a single package. A multi-chip module (MCM) is a specialized electronic package where multiple integrated circuits (ICs), semiconductor dies or other discrete components are packaged onto a unifying substrate, facilitating their use as a single component. The MCM itself will often be referred to as a “chip” in designs, thus illustrating its integrated nature. This packaging, known as System in Package (SiP) or Chip Stack MCM, does not integrate the chips into a single circuit. Instead, the chips in the package communicate using off-chip signaling, much as if they were mounted in separate packages on a normal circuit board.
A SiP is a number of integrated circuits enclosed in a single module (package). The SiP performs all or most of the functions of an electronic system, and are typically used inside a, for example, mobile phone, digital music player, etc. Dies containing integrated circuits may be stacked vertically on a substrate. In some cases, they are internally connected by fine wires that are bonded to the package. Alternatively, with a flip chip technology, solder bumps are used to join stacked chips together. SiP dies can be stacked vertically or tiled horizontally, unlike slightly less dense multi-chip modules, which place dies horizontally on a carrier. SiP connects the dies with standard off-chip wire bonds or solder bumps, unlike slightly denser three-dimensional integrated circuits which connect stacked silicon dies with conductors running through the die. Many different 3-D packaging techniques have been developed for stacking many more-or-less standard chip dies into a compact area.
An example SiP can contain several chips (such as a specialized processor, DRAM, flash memory) combined with passive components, for example resistors and capacitors, which are mounted on the same substrate. This means that a complete functional unit can be built in a multi-chip package, so that few external components need to be added to make it work. This is particularly valuable in space-constrained environments as it reduces the complexity of the package substrate and overall design.